Journey of a dream
by chloemcg
Summary: When Tennessee dreams of becoming an infamous outlaw like his childhood hero, Buck the kid, he leaves the hometown comforts of his birthplace and decides to try the big city but what happens if everything does not go quite to plan? Will Tennessee fulfill his father's wishes and will he ever become an outlaw like his ancestors before him? TennsseeXOC.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

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1789 old West...

Everyone in the small, cozy town of Sandy-moore gulch was oblivious to the action taking place in the neighborhood as they continued this day like it was no different than the previous days before. Honestly; life would have become boring if not had it been for the fact that this was the home of a current Cooper.

"Ye-haww!" Christopher Cooper howled as he ran through the hot, sandy dessert of the small town he lived in with the boiling sun allowing every inhabitant to bask within the rays golden glows. Chris was a Raccoon with golden brown fur and he had scruffy cheek fur and a huge bushy tail. He wore a leather sleeveless vest with a gingham long-sleeved shirt with a belt with a holstered gun and he wore a brown leather cowboy hat with a worn away rim.

As the Raccoon dashed off towards a certain building, he missed the many gunshots being fired at him as Chris ducked and swiftly dodged the bullets that constantly almost hit his feet and tail. The outlaw was just pulling one last heist for the week in a local bank when he suddenly heard the screams of his wife all the way from the other side of town. He stopped the job half way as he had been waiting for this day for awhile. He skidded to a halt before turning a corner, allowing the bullets being fired to narrowly miss his backside but hit his wanted poster.

"Y'all can't catch me, Sheriff!" Christopher taunted as he blew a raspberry over his shoulder towards those who were firing at his direction. As he continued running, Chris could vaguely catch the sheriff's shouts from far behind him as his words drifted off into the summer's rare breeze "_I'll find you, Cooper!"_

As Chris found himself quickly approaching the appointed place; he found himself met outside by the town's local doctor. "Is she alright, Doc?" The brown-furred Raccoon asked impatiently with his ears perking up wearily as he was ushered inside by the old coyote as he assured him "Yeah, pardner. Dusty is doin' just fine."

Chris never thought his own home would become a maternity ward nor would it provide the same uncomfortable vibes and smells as the hospital. As he paced back in forth panicky as he constantly heard the sounds of his wife's touchingly high pitched screams. It reminded Chris of being in a prison cell with a violin bow being scratched up against the rusted bar of a cage as his sensitive ears twitched at every sharp breath and scream that came from his wife.

As the outlaw recalled his previous adventures up to this point; he felt this sudden bliss that warmed his heart. Removing his hat to run a hand through his shaggy hair, Christopher stopped pacing and found his gaze falling on and off the door that made him feel so conflicted.

About 3 years ago; Chris had entered a local saloon where he met a beautiful dancer whom had taken the stage of the town. Her name was Dusty. Chris recalled the fondest memory of when they met as he watched her approach him with a kind, caring grin while his face was covered in bubbles from the beer he had been drinking. He remembered Dusty being just mere inches as she used her dress to wipe his face off like a mother would with her child.

After that, Chris left many roses at Dusty's door and they eventually began dating and once Chris told the performer of his heritage and family business and it turned out she loved him so much that she was more willing to drop everything and Christopher proposed to her, during a train robbery, and asked for her hand in marriage. Now here they were 3 years later!

The male brown-furred Raccoon closed his eyes as he thought of how much he had matured after all these years as he held the family heirloom, the Thievius Raccoonus, in his hands. He thought of everything his ancestors had written in this book in particular and he thought of everything he had written. This book was the one thing that was treasured in the Cooper family. If anyone were to damage this book then they would be damaging histories most honorable thieves.

The male heard one last ear piercing scream and he couldn't help but lift his head at the sound of the newest cries and this over-protective feeling almost driven Chris to break down the door but he managed to stop himself before doing so. Sighing; the outlaw sat himself down and looked at the wall hanging behind him and his eyes laid upon a long piece of black iron with a solid gold arch in the shape of a c. That, like the Thievius Raccoonus, was also a family heirloom.

Christopher's eyes widened when he saw a nurse exit from the very door he had been fearing to enter and his eyes traced her every movement as the female long horn sauntered in front of him with a cheerful grin and this made all of the male Raccoon's worries and fears melt away instantly as he did not need to ask to know of his wife's condition. As he was led into the bedroom, Chris saw his wife looking exhausted but she was crying tears of rejoice. The room's bedside lantern was dimly lit so both mother and child could sleep peacefully after the long ordeal.

"Dusty...?" Chris called out softly as he placed his hat on a nearby peg and approached the bed where the female Raccoon laid with sweat running down her forehead and her hair frizzy from the stress she had just been through. Dusty's yellow whites and brown-grey eyes were rather hypnotic to Chris as he sat on the edge of the bed's duvet. Christopher asked as he laid a gentle hand upon Dusty's clammy one "Are y'all feelin' alright, Dusty?"

"Yeah, honey. Ah'm fine." She looked down at the whimpering bundle in her thin arms with a soft, gentleness inside those lovely pools "We _both_ are."

Christopher gulped nervously as the word 'both' reached his scruffy ears. He never expected that he'd be a father and he watched as Dusty re-positioned the newborn Raccoon in her arms so his father could see his face. The adult male Raccoon approached his new son to get a better look. The newborn Raccoon had fur that would remind you of a sandstorm during a flash flood and he had the exact same eyes as his mother even though they were tightly shut as the tiny male Raccoon's cries softened into soft whimpers.

"Would y'all like ta hold him, Chris?" Dusty asked as she extended her arms towards him as the swaddled infant rested in her open arms. Wordlessly; Christopher removed the newly born Raccoon from his wife's possession and looked down at his frail form. As he stared down at his son, he watched as the newborn put a hand in his mouth and he began to suck it. Christopher could not help but grin ear to ear as he beamed at this tiny being "Hoo-wee, this lil' guy's gonna be a feisty one. I know it!"

The baby scanned his surroundings as he stretched his jaw out in a big yawn. The room's dark atmosphere allowed his curiosity to bloom as he scanned his surroundings yet his eyes drooped tiredly as his tiny arms reached up towards his father's face. Knowing what his son was after; Christopher untied his yellow bandanna from his neck and handed it to the awaiting Raccoon newborn who fiddled around with it playfully.

"Heheheh...Woah there, little feller. Take it easy." Christopher chuckled as he tried to get his son to quit being energetic and go to sleep but the more he played, the more the infant wanted to stay up. Eventually, however, the small Raccoon grew sleepy as he yawned a second time and was quickly lulled to sleep as his mother reclaimed him and rocked him while humming a lyric-less melody with a voice that was sweeter than melted gold. Once the two new parents knew their son was peacefully asleep; Chris asked his wife in a hushed whisper "What shall we name the lil' tyke, Dusty?"

Dusty allowed her son to rest on her lap as she sat up in bed, scratching just below her chin in deep thought, before she finally smiled down at the swaddled babe "I think he should be named... Tennessee."

"Tennessee Cooper..." Christopher echoed in fascination with the suggestion before he finally smirked and playfully tussled his son's unkempt hair "I like it. It suits this kid better than the reins that fit on a horse."

"Tennessee...My lil' Tennessee." Dusty murmured lovingly as she kissed her son's forehead as she cradled baby Tennessee in her arms lovingly but both parents were unaware of the destiny that was to befall their son as he rested peacefully inside his mother's arms with his tiny thumb inside his mouth.

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**A/N: Sorry this chapter was short and puny, I just thought it would be a good origin story for Tennessee. Listen: I doubt he was born with the nickname 'kid' so I thought that should be established later on in the story. I'll try and make this as cool as I can. Chris Cooper was an interesting sounding Cooper who I thought should be Tennessee's father and his mother I made up.**

**I will try and update tomorrow but I will have a test done tomorrow so I may or may not update. We'll see what happens but hopefully the next chapter will make sense and who know? If this story is good then I may make some about the other ancestors. It depends.**

**Please review and favorite.**

**-Chloemcg**


	2. Tennessee 'Kid' Cooper's vow

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon and a few others. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

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7 years later...

Young Tennessee giggled as he chased his best friend, Danielle, around in a game of tag. The young Raccoon was beginning to look a lot like his father and even wore a bandanna that was very identical but he wore a tangerine shirt and a brown leather vest. He also wore a belt around his pelt as his large bushy tail was zig-zagged with stripes.

It had been 7 years since Tennessee had joined the world and like his father predicted; the boy proved to be adventurous, fearless, light on his feet and really feisty. Being a young Raccoon meant you could pretty much do anything foolish but not get injured...Most of the time.

Many of the town's wandering inhabitants ignored the two children playing together on the dirt road as they laughed and had fun. One Raccoon had grey fur and wore a pretty shamrock green dress while the other was a dusty brown color and he wore the perfect accessories for a future outlaw.

"Hehehe!" A female Raccoon giggled sweetly as she lightly slapped her friend on the shoulder "Tag you're it!"

"Better be careful, Danielle! I can run faster then a six-legged coyote!" Tennessee boasted as he gave chase to the young female who only contniued giggling as the two best friends ran after the other. The two young Raccoon's chased each other as they ran in a circle to try and touch the other but they stopped when the sound of a woman screaming pierced the air like a warm knife to a stick of butter.

"What was that?" Danielle asked with wide eyes filled with panic at what she just heard. She sent a sideways glance towards the young male Raccoon who just smirked evilly at this opportunity "I think that this is an opportunity, m'ah amiga."

Without saying much else; Tennessee ran to investigate and left his friend behind. Danielle sighed in frustration as she knew she had to go after her friend who never thought before acting. As she followed him, the female Raccoon looked around for her best friend who was most likely hiding in a very hard to reach place. "Tennessee, where are ya? Y'all know that this is dangerous!"

If Danielle looked up, she would have found Tennessee hanging on a telephone wire as he clambered on to the thin, black wiring. The young Raccoon had some training about climbing things when he was merely 3 years old and Tennessee was going to see through that he helped the innocent but also kept up the legacy as an honourable thief.

Of course, climbing these boiling hot wires with the hot sun beaming down was rather hazardous to a young boy but if you had the guts to do something such as this: it either made you the bravest person alive or the dumbest. Tennessee was both of these things.

When the boy finally reached the desired destination; he found himself staring at two individuals who were having a stand off. One was a young lady fox while the other was a giant Walrus who was clearly a non honorable thief due to the fact that he holstered many guns across his chest, waist and wrist. Glaring at the despicible sight below, Tennessee swung his lower half off the wire so he could drop on top of the bad guy's shoulders as he pulled tightly on his small ear holes.

"Y'all had bettah' let this lady go or Ah'll...Ah'll do sumthin'!" Young Tennessee threatened as best as he could as he pulled on his thick purple skin and accidentally knocked off the guy's hat in the process. "Hey, get off me ya lil' rat!"

As Tennessee wrestled the Walrus; he found the big guy trying to desperately shake off the boy wrestling him as the Walrus didn't notice that his bowler hat had fallen off his head and fell to the sand. As Tennessee distracted the rogue, he yelled through his struggling "Go, ma'am!"

This fight didn't last long as the lady had gotten away and the muscular bandit also grabbed the offending 7 year old child as he held him by the knot in his yellow bandanna just inches away from his own face. "Y'all wanna fight, fur ball, then ya should've played with kiddies you're own age."

The walrus held back his fist as he prepared to punch the young Raccoon in the face but Tennessee's eyes only glistened in defiance as he pinned his ears back to show that he was slightly fearful "Ah' ain't afraid ta do the right thing, saber teeth!" The boy snarled as he readied himself for the beating he was about to have.

Tennessee could feel the whoosh of the impact coming from the incoming face but felt nothing. He opened his eyes in sheer surprise when he saw a very slender ferret wearing a bowler hat was holding a gun right to the opposing Walrus' head.

"Put the kid down, Rowdy, if y'all know what's good fer ya." The ferret threatened as he scowled at the giant blubber creature with fiery eyes that threatened to make good on his threat if he dared not follow his orders.

Gradually; Rowdy the Walrus lowered Tennessee down and when the boy's feet made contact with the sandy flooring below him, he raised his giant hands in front of his chest as he gesture of surrender. But as the ferret was about to say something, the Walrus saw Danielle and charged right at her before scooping her up and using her as a hostage. As the young male Raccoon saw that his friend was in trouble, he gasped and removed a loop of rope that was tied diagonally around the adult ferret's waist and when he threw it around a sign, he concentrated.

The young Raccoon allowed his heavy eyelids to close over his usually energetic eyes, felt time stop around him and the gentle breeze blow gently against his back as he closed his eyes and awaited the right moment to act. He opened his eyes whence he realised that now was the time for action. He lifted himself up with the rope and swung around in a clockwise circle and when he straightened out both his legs; he extended his two limbs to cause a huge impact upon his large opponent as the Walrus fell and Danielle was knocked from his grip and sent flying in the air but Tennessee, thinking quick, caught her as he wrapped one arm protectively around her and this made Danielle's entire face blush scarlet.

When Tennessee swung back around while he still clutched the rope tightly, he gently released his best friend and allowed her to stand on her own as she tried to get over the shock of what just happened. Of course, Tennessee smiled warmly at his friend who surprised him by her leaning forward and giving her savior a small kiss on the cheek. Tennessee blushed beet red in response as he never gotten kissed by a girl his age and he responded by quickly wiping the kiss away with a sleeve.

As many of the adults gathered around this brave young Raccoon, there were many mutters and mumbles through the curious crowd of the towns inhabitants and this made the young Raccoon pin his ears back against his head fearfully as he attempted to hide behind his friend for comfort.

But Tennessee's protection was very short lived as Danielle was snatched up by her father whom scowled at the young Raccoon whom helped her as he carried his daughter home. Of course, Tennessee was frightened beyond words as the ferret whom rescued him before intervened before too much they could scare the child away.

"Woah, easy!" The Ferret exclaimed angrily "Give the lil' guy some space!"

Of course, everyone backed off and went back doing their daily routines as they walked about and ignored the young heroic Raccoon and adult Ferret whom stomped his foot repeatedly as he awaited an explanation. To Tennessee this scene made him recall the many times he had done other wreck less actions and his father was lecturing him.

Little Tennessee didn't have the guts to look the stranger in the eyes to looked down towards the sand under his feet. He decided that this was better to look at than angry eyes of a grown up.

Forcing the child to look up; Tennessee saw that, to his utter surprise, the ferret _wasn't _glaring at him. Instead he was giving him a mix of a stern and reminiscant frown with his brows knitted together to show how much the boy standing before him reminded him of himself. Kneeling down to meet the kid at eye level, the stranger lightly scolded as he laid a paw upon the boy's shoulder "Now, son. What y'all gone 'n did there was a dog-gone stupid thing. Y'all coulda hurt ya'self."

Tennessee's eyes and ears lowered in shame as he shamefully kicked his foot at the ground while holding both hands behind his back to hide his underlying guilt. But the young dirt-furred Raccoon was surprised when the ferret smiled at him as he petted his head tenderly "But twas was also mighty brave for ya ta stick up fer yer friend."

"Well, Sir, I couldn't let that brute hurt her." Tennessee scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he tried to hide the fact that he was once again blushing as red as a traffic light when it had its 'stop' signal.

The ferret sighed. he just couldnt stay mad at the poor thing. Pushing this argument away, he winked at the 7 year old Raccoon as he patted his shoulder "Keep it up, junior, and you just may end up gittin' a gal fer ya'self."

The adult stranger smirked when he saw that Tennessee's face was now turning every shade of red imaginable out of the obvious fact that the little scamp had a slight developing crush on the one he called a 'friend'.

"Names Buck. Buck the kid. What yer name, son?" The ferret named Buck tipped his hat and asked as he stood up while he extended a friendly hand out towards the small male Raccoon.

Tennessee wasn't the least bit cautious about this stranger as he smiled brightly and he returned the hand shake while he formally introduced himself "M'ah names Tennessee. Tennessee Cooper."

"I think y'all mean Tennessee '_kid_' Cooper, pardner." Buck corrected as he messed up Tennessee's head fur. It was then he realised what the child just said as his circular ears perked up and his gaze was distant for a few long seconds. When the ferret did snap out of it; he asked "Wait. Yer Christopher Cooper's son?"

Tennessee nodded with a big smirk as he folded his arms proudly with his tail whipping profusely from how excited he was "Uh-huh. He even gave me a very important mission."

Buck raised an interested brow "Yeah, what's that?"

"Ah'm man of the house! Pa went off on a trip somewhere and left me in charge of everythin'!" The raccoon boasted cheerfully. It was clear he wasn't gloating and wasn't intending to be mean in anyway it was just the lad was excited about his first important job.

Buck's ears flattened at the sound of Christopher's absence "Aw, dang. I was wantin' ta see the ol' ring-tail for quite some time."

Tennessee looked down in deep thought. He didn't want to disappoint his hero so he decided to at least show his gratitude by inviting him to stay with his mother and baby brother "Well, Partner. Y'all could always shoot and stay in the Cooper house if y'all like." He offered, trying to sound polite.

Buck raised both brows in surprise and asked carefully "Woah, there. Did yer ma agree ta this?"

Tennessee shrugged as he dragged the adult ferret behind him with all his feeble might "Ugh, might as well give it a try. Who knows; she may be as excited ta see you as a Jack-a-lope with a twisted antler!"

It took awhile but Tennessee eventually managed to get Buck to his little house on the other side of town but Tennessee was unaware of the grim news that awaited him when he got there. The young dusty brown-furred Raccoon opened the door with a smile as he announced "Ma, Ah'm back!" It was then that Tennessee's innocent eyes laid upon his mother whom sat at the table, her body racking with raspy sobs as she tightly clutched a piece of paper close to her chest and the young toddler of the family was asleep on a nearby mat on the floor, oblivious to what was going on.

"Ma, What's wrong?" Tennessee asked as he rushed to his mother's side with Buck quickly tailing him as the two males tried to console the female adult Raccoon. Staring at her oldest son with pitiful, tearful eyes that consisted in yellow orbs and brown-grey irises; she wiped a sleeve across her face and tried to be strong for her family. Dusty sighed shakily as she got off her chair and knelt down on her knees and met her child at eye level as she forced a smile "M'ah lil' Tennessee. Just know that no matter what; you'll always be loved."

Tennessee's ears pinned back as fear grabbed hold of him. An unnoticeable shudder of terror was sent down the boy's spine as he feared of what his mother was going to say next. The young Raccoon could barely make out what his mother said as the words left her lips slowly as a new batch of tears poured from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks "Yer pa...ain't comin' home." Dusty said as she choked on her tears.

Tennessee's heart stopped beating as he took this harsh truth into reality. His father was gone? How did that happen?! The young Raccoon found himself backing away slowly with his mouth in a saddening open-mouthed frown of despair.

"H-How?..." Tennessee managed in a soft squeak as he turned his head to the right side, his eyes shut tight to prevent any tears from falling.

"Pa was on his way back from a place far from here where yer long line of family heritage is hidden, all the loot from yer ancestors past crimes stored in this ancient place." Dusty explained as she tried to smooth the equal despair her son was feeling from her soft voice "He managed to store his loot inside but...On the way back he was attacked b'ah what was described as a giant bird. His boat was in shreds and...and..he.." Dusty never got to finish as she began to wept solemnly on the table.

Tennessee barely paid attention to the fact that his young sibling was crying right along with the broken household. The young Raccoon could barely take the soul-crushing atmosphere as he took off out the door to spend some time alone. As Buck watched the door where the poor boy had just left, he could sense all the while that the poor boy needed time alone right now.

Storm clouds ruled the skies as the rain drizzled against the trees to fill the background and it created the perfect atmosphere for a funeral. A plain wooden made coffin was being lowered into a big hole made deep in the damp earth where a very small portion of glass grew and a small part of nature thrived in this environment.

Many had gathered at this depressing occasion as all whom was close to the deceased Raccoon stood around the closed coffin and yet, they stood a few good inches from the enclosed box with the remains of a certain Raccoon outlaw inside. Dusty (who held her youngest child) stepped forwards, smoothing her black gothic gown, and said her speech for her true love.

Tennessee was sitting in the damp rain a few yards away but he barely noticed what was being said as he sat upon a cozy little rock that poked out of the ground a great distance from the funeral as he slouched sadly with his saddened mind toiling his good conscious away from his bad all because he was filled with anger for the one who left him fatherless. The young Raccoon was startled when he felt a gentle hand lay itself gently on his tense shoulder.

Tennessee quickly whipped his head around to see a certain female Raccoon with a look of sorrow etched on her usually gentle face. "Ah'm so sorry, Tenny." Danielle snaked her arms around the young boy's neck and comforted her friend as she rubbed a soothing hand up and down his spinal cord.

Danielle admittedly looked all the more angelic with her grey fur damp and her sleek black hair tied in a ponytail. Even her mask was messy from the heavy-hearted weather.

Tennesee would usually correct Danielle on her admittedly cute nickname for him by some sort of witty remark but this was different as the boy reluctantly gave into his despair of the loss for his father and rested his chin on his friend's shoulder as she tried her best to soothe Tennesee.

"D-Danielle. Why? Why did that monster git m'ah pa?" Tennessee asked with a few broken whimpers as tears poured from his broken-hearted eyes, seeking the warmth and protection his best friend provided as she stroked his shuddering body.

Tennessee's bloodshot eyes squeezed shut as memories of his father crossed his mind. For as long as the young dirt-furred Raccoon child could remember; his father had already been there at good times and bad. Even when on heists he would drop everything in a heartbeat to help the ones he loved.

"I dunno, Tennessee. I really dunno." Danielle said, her ears falling flat against her head sadly as a figure approached the two. Danielle looked up and saw Buck who gave the children a very sympathetic look as his brows knitted together to form a sad look for the sobbing boy before him. Taking this as her cue to leave, Danielle stood up and told Tennessee before she walked away "I'll leave ya both alone. Gimme a holler anytime ya need me, kay?"

Tennessee nodded and forced a faint smile to form on his lips and watched as she departed with her hand in her father's and they both walked back to town.

Buck eased himself down to sit beside the depressed young Ring-tail and patted his shoulder to at least try and ease the pain young Tennessee was feeling deep down inside. "Now, son. I know losin' yer Pa is a disheartening time but y'all need ta be strong." Buck consoled.

Tennessee hung his head low with his ears flat and droopy but he asked anyway, even though talking made his heart ache "Shoot, no kiddin'?" He quipped with his voice dripping with sarcasm. Buck could clearly see the distain in the boy's usually active spirit and his eyes proved this theory correct.

Buck grabbed both of Tennessee's shoulders and forced the boy to look straight at him as the ferret and he met at direct eye level. Tennessee sniffled and wiped a sleeve across his face as he tried to resist looking down but he listened to the adult's every word.

"Tennessee, look at me. Knowing yer pa fer 20 years has taught me a lot bout bein' a bandit and a lot of other stuff. What I know most of all is that no matter how bleak things look, things'll git better." Buck said determinedly as his small ears lowered sadly at the very mention of his friend and for a moment he looked down before looking back up again as he turned his head in the direction of the adult female Raccoon standing on the hill.

"Besides, someone needs ta keep n eye on that lil' rascal of a brother you've got. Yer ma also needs you so don't ya dare think y'all ain't needed here." Buck patted his shoulder but the last thing he did surprised the boy greatly. Buck reached behind his own back and dropped the same bowler hat Rowdy wore upon Tennessee's head and the hat barely fit upon his head as he lifted the front of the rim to see Buck disappearing into the mist that was beginning to surround the graveyard.

Before looking back over his shoulder, Buck told Tennessee with no emotion in his voice "Good luck, Tennessee Cooper."

Tennessee was silent as Buck disappeared into the fog. He looked down as if he was in deep thought and looked at his rippling reflection in a small puddle in front of his feet, the reflection being altered constantly due to the many small drops of water that fell in.

After awhile, though, Tennessee plucked up his courage and walked up the hill to meet his mother and baby brother. Dusty was shattered as she stared at the pile of dirt sprinkled with many flowers that covered the coffin and the tomb stone that poked out from the head of the pile. The tomb stone that somehow wore Christopher's head despite its round rim.

Getting down on one knee, Tennessee traced a finger along the tomb stone with his mind absent for a few moments before he whispered in a silent vow "Rest easy, Pa. I promise ah'll become an outlaw like you and ah'll learn everything ah know from the Thevieus Racconus. Ah'll make ya proud."

Tennessee finally mustered the strength to do something he hadn't done since he heard his father was slain: he smiled a genuine, light-hearted smile.

As Dusty led her family away from the graveyard, Tennessee felt a new ounce of confidence as he removed the bowler hat he had received and looked at it with a smirk. As the three Raccoons walked away, Tennessee gave a mishchevious grin with his eyes narrow. He was going to uphold that promise he had made and he knew that from here on out, he was going to do whatever it took to keep the Cooper generation proud.

The boy knew that whatever fate had in store wouldn't play nice on him all the time but that didn't matter. He was the next great thief whose name would go down in history. His name was Tennessee 'Kid' Cooper.

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**A/N: Sorry for the late chapter. I was constantly thinking on where this was going but here seems great enough! This is the best chapter I could ever hope for, admittedly! I'll also try and update another Sly Cooper story today but we'll see what happens.**

**I am trying to make this story as in canon as possible but I am proud of this.**

**Please leave reviews and stuff, reviews would be appreciated and so would suggestions. I don't mind, really.**

**Also, guess who murdered Christopher? It should be easy to guess by the fact that there was apparently a 'big bird' at the scene! **

**Next we see Tennessee in his current form. Oh, I Can't wait to update! **

**-Chloemcg**


	3. Departure

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon and a few others. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

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Tennessee laughed as he ran through town, avoiding the gunshots being aimed right at him from behind as he carried a single bag of money over his shoulder, the sounds of coins jingling inside as the young adult Raccoon took each hopping step.

The dust-furred Raccoon grinned as he felt the wind blow against his back, feeling his father giving him spiritual support as he ran for home. Tennessee gave the smallest of grins as he howled "Hoowee, y'all better catch up or else ya might just miss me!" Tennessee mocked with a immature raspberry as he gave a spring in each step he took, his feet stirring up dust with each slam his feet made against the calm earth as his feet drummed against the ground.

"Grrrr, Ah'll catcha' Cooper!" The sheriff of this town growled. It turned out that the Sheriff was actually a male older adult raccoon who had stubble of a beard surrounding his lips, his fur was grey and his eyes were a piercing golden brown colour that normally would make your spine tremble.

Tennessee sped off around the right corner as he laughed hard at the much older Raccoon's anger and before he left. He couldn't help but give one last witty remark as he grinned, a toothpick in his mouth "Give this-" he pulled a small red flower out from behind his back "-ta Danielle for me, kay?"

"STAY AWAY FROM M'AH DAUGHTER YA NO GOOD THIEF!" The sheriff roared as he stomped harshly upon his hat that he had thrown off mere seconds ago, an act driven by pure hatred for the young Outlaw.

As Tennessee ran off into the distance towards his home; he couldn't help but reflect on what had been happening. He had kept his promise to his father by becoming an outlaw but he wasn't the kind of outlaw he needed to be to even be close by his father's standards but that was why he was leaving for another town not so far from here. His thoughts wandered back through his childhood years. Ever since Buck the kid arrived, life had been flipped upside down and Tennessee had his bowler hat to remember the Ferret's kindness and generosity.

The teenage Raccoon stopped in his tracks when he reached his small family cottage. Grinning at his old home, Tennessee knocked the door firmly to alert his mother to the door "Ma, lemme in if y'all please."

It was then that a childish voice answered from the other side, sounding slightly muffled due to the fact that the door was closed tight "Whats the password?"

Tennessee's brows raised in interest at the sound of his little brother's voice. It was always his mother whom opened the door but to hear the one he helped raised to be at the door was a surprise. Giving a quick thought, Tennessee guessed as he leaned forwards "Is it 'Please lemme in'?"

"Nope." The child's voice replied bluntly.

"Is it 'Tennessee is the coolest big brother'?" Tennessee tried again but was given the same, blunt response "Nope."

Tennessee scratched his chin in deep thought as he thought on what the possible password could be. He knew the young Raccoon better than anyone (including their mother) and Skeeter was a tough cookie to bargain with. It was then what the boisterous little one wanted kicked into the adsolent's mind as he removed a single crumpled 50 pound note from the bag of money he had just gotten his hands on.

"Is it 'I have 50 bucks which ah'll give ya if y'all lemme in'?" Tennessee guessed a third time before smirking at the silence that followed his guess. After a few moments, Tennessee heard the door unlocking from the other side as he was greeted by a 6 year old Raccoon with a darker shade of brown then his own.

Skeeter wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a black leather vest and he wore a small cowboy hat that barely fit upon his head. He also wore a belt that was identical to Tennessee's and he wore a red bandanna with little white spots.

"Hey, Skeeter!" Tennessee scooped his little brother up into his arms before letting him sit upon his shoulder while he assisted the younger Raccoon to stay sitting up without falling off. Skeeter excitedly reached for the crumpled up note which Tennessee passed to him with no sign of reluctance.

"Say. Ya know where ma is?" Tennessee queried in great confusion with his lower brow furrowed in deep interest of his mother's whereabouts. Skeeter nodded but his excitement seemed to have dissipated within that one thought about his mother. Tennessee was even more confused as he removed Skeeter from his right shoulder and lowered him to the ground in front of him "Whats wrong with ma, Skeeter?" He asked.

"..." Skeeter stayed silent until he sighed heavily as he gently urged "C'mon," he said while running up behind Tennesse as he began shoving him with what little strength he had "Ma's in a right state."

Tennessee saw his mother weeping into her apron as she sat in her rocking chair while the golden beams of the slowly-fading sunlight reflecting against the window outside settled on her frail, delicate form as she buried her saddened face but her sobs were rather loud despite being muffled due to the fact that she had her face buried in rags.

The young adult Raccoon lowered his head in sorrow. He understood why his mother was crying. Ever since her husband died, the widowed Dusty Cooper wasn't herself. She was sad often and only rarely came outside to go shopping for supplies. Actually, it was Tennessee's support by stealing from the bank that kept the splitting family together.

Tennessee dropped the bag of many near the doorway, announcing his arrival, took care as he approached his mother and gently laid a soothing hand upon her shoulder to provide her some comfort. Dusty wiped her eyes with a hanky Tennessee handed to her and blew her nose. "Don't cry, Ma. Ah'll be home one day when Ah afford enough ta give y'all a better life."

Dusty sighed with a knowing nod. She should have seen this coming. Skeeter never knew his father so Tennessee was the one to take the Cooper mantle. She turned to look her oldest son in the eye as she wrapped her loving arms around him in a loving hug and she smiled as she felt Tennessee return this kindly gesture.

"Ah' love ya, Ma." Tennessee murmured softly as tears poured down his cheeks like tiny streams without a single piece of obstruction.

"Ah' love ya too, Tennessee." Dusty sniffed but she forced a smile upon her lips as she finally released her oldest son and held his hands in hers. Her bloodshot eyes lit up when she remembered something. She reached down towards the right side of the rocking chair she sat upon and scooped up a big book from beside her. She dropped the book into her son's hands and he stared at it in surprise.

"The Thevieus Raccoonus?" Tennessee's mouth gaped and eyes almost popped out of their sockets that were overcome with shock. He barely had enough time to say anything when Skeeter ran into the room and practically shoved their father's revolver/cane into his arms.

Skeeter gave his older brother a sad smile "Ah' thought ya'd like sumthin' ta remember us by."

Tennessee got down to both his knees and opened his arms out wide for his little brother to leap into his arms and wrapped his pudgy arms around his brother's neck. "Thank ya kindly, Skeeter." He murmured as he ruffled his younger brother's head fur teasingly, earning a laugh from the younger Raccoon.

When Skeeter finally broke away from his older brother's warm embrace, he felt Tennessee's hand rest itself upon his shoulder as he was given a direct order "Now, Skeeter. Look after ma fer me."

Skeeter stood tall while he gave an army's salute and giving him a warm smile. Tennessee climbed to his feet and began his descent out the door as he waved goodbye to his mother and little brother.

It didn't take very long until he had gone out the door and found himself staring at what he would normally see when going out. It was going to be the last time in awhile he would see it. When Tennessee stook a few steps forwards, away from the the house's doorway; he found a certain house that made his lips twist into a sharp grin.

After creeping around towards the back, he found himself climbing up a rusty old pipe beside the bedroom window, he peered in and saw Danielle sitting on the edge of her bed with her back turned to the window so Tennessee could only get a view of her back. Carefully knocking upon the window, Tennessee waited for a moment before he saw Danielle turn her head towards the source of the noise.

She smiled softly towards him as she saw her childhood friend smiling right back at her. Danielle had grown into a beautiful young lady as the female Raccoon stood up to look at Tennessee. Her grey fur was still as flawless as ever while her raven locks of hair neatly fell from behind her head with a neat fringe of uneven lengths of strands curling up against her forehead. She had some lipstick that coloured her beautiful lips crimson and her eyes sparkled like flawless gold nuggets as they gleamed in the sunlight with their amber colour.

Tennessee removed his bowler hat in a former gesture as he cupped the rim against his chest and nodded his head as he grinned a toothy smirk, still gnawing on a toothpick. Danielle wandered towards the window and grabbed one side of it and slid it open so she could talk to Tennessee without a slide of glass between them.

"Tennessee what are ya doin' here," Danielle asked with her eyes large with shock that he was here yet her smile was surprised "If m'ah Pa sees ya we're both cooked geese!"

Tennessee shook his head with a grin "Naw. Ah' gave him the run around so ah' betcha he'll be sleepin' against the door frame before he can even catch me."

Danielle sighed with a smile still worn upon her lips. Ever since Tennessee had followed his father's footsteps and decided to become an outlaw, her father had tried his best to make sure he was put behind bars so it wouldn't be the same thing as good old Christopher Cooper, wanted outlaw throughout the entire country. Some even said he was wanted in 7 different countries! But Tennessee had bigger fish to fry in the big city and he was departing on this very day.

"Are y'all sure ya can't come with me?" Tennessee asked hopefully with a fanged smirk. Danielle shook her head sadly "Ah'm sorry, Tenny. Ah' can't yet. Thinkin' of travelin' the ol' west, ya know." She jabbed Tennessee in the shoulder with a small giggle although she could see the sadness in Tennessee's unique eyes. Danielle smiled hopefully "But hopefully Ah'll see ya round someday and we'll see each other."

The spark in Tennessee's eyes lit back up again at the mention of seeing each other again. It was then he remembered something and plucked something from behind his left ear and he handed her a tiny red flower as he grinned sweetly "Ah' did ask ya Pa if he could deliver it but he didn't allow it."

Giggling again, Danielle lowered her head forwards slightly so Tennessee could place the decapitated plant in her raven hair. He placed it delicately in front of her ear. Suddenly a loud voice boomed through the house "**COOPER!**" Danielle eyed Tennessee with this playful hint inside her emerald pools "Sleepin' against the doorframe, huh?" She repeated what Tennessee had said before and watched as he shrugged his shoulders loosely "Eh, ah' was wrong before."

As Tennessee was about to leap off the pipe he grappled on to escape her father's wrath, Danielle leaned in and lightly kissed him on the nose and this left Tennessee so shocked by this action that he accidently loosened his grip on the rusted old pipe and fell down those 7 metres to the ground with the impact stirring up dust.

"Are y'all alright, Tennessee?" Danielle asked as she leaned forwards to check on him and see if he was left with any injury from the fall. She watched with relief as Tennessee got up while chuckling sheepishly like a fool as she tripped on his own feet clumsily and he ran towards the fence and jumped over it to get out of the back garden just before Danielle's father could catch him. He couldn't help but wonder how the sherriff spotted him anyway.

Tennessee zipped around a corner towards the protective shade from a nearby saloon and rested against its creaky wooden barriers in order to catch his breath as he slowly came to terms of what had just happened. He grinned like a giddy fool as he realised that the one he had a crush on since childhood _kissed _him!

Placing a hand over his pumping heart; Tennessee gave a happy sigh as he ran towards the exit of the town as the sherriff's enraged voice began to come closer and closer. The dust-furred Raccoon ran towards a nearby wagon that carried most of his belongings, dumped the Thevieus Raccoonus and the revolver inside before tying them down and ran to the horse that was hopelessly tied to the wagon as the thoroughbred flared its nostrils and Tennessee lightly slapped the horse on the neck and within seconds, the horse galloped out towards the huge arch that marked the exit/entry of Sandymoore gulch.

Tennessee was lost within the view before him. The skies were tainted orange and pink, fluffy clouds began to roll in from the south as the sunlight completed the gorgeous scenery around him. Even the few sharp cacti poking out of the sand provided the perfect thing the dust-furred outlaw needed to wave goodbye to him until the day he would return. His ear flicked backwards when he heard the sheriff's heavy breathing right behind him.

Tennessee didn't even need to turn an eye as he could already see the sheriff's red face and he was doubled over as he glared murderous daggers towards him even though the young adult's back was turned on him. Grinning sideways as he looked over his shoulder, Tennessee's imagination didn't fail him as the Sherriff's face was exactly what he expected it to be like -red and everything!- and he tipped his bowler hat to the man as a silent gesture of farewell.

Without much else to do Tennessee clicked his tongue against his teeth and the horse-drawn cart was already being ridden into the horizon where the sun was disappearing over the perfect horizon by the time the time Danielle's father reacted.

As Tennessee and his horse galloped away towards the sunset with only the 'clippity clop' sound the horse's hooves made as they drummed against the fine orange sand below as the sand was tainted by the orange sunlight disappearing beyond the distance but also the sounds of the many tied down trinkets clinking and clanging against each other as the rough ride had began. The young Raccoon knew that this journey was going to be long but he needn't worry because his father was going to guide him every step of the way.

He was sure of it.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the short chapter, guys. I hope that this was satisfactory enough for your liking. Anyways there were many things with this chapter. Tennessee going away, meeting his little brother Skeeter (and OC) and seeing Dusty (another OC) for the last time in what should be awhile. I'm enjoying this so much I may just write a story about Galleth's origin next. **

**I have already completed Tennessee's part in Theives in time and I enjoyed it so who knows what will happen next? I'll only give you one spoiler: Next we find out how the Rail walk and slide was created.**

**Thanks guys and please let me know if there is anything I can improve on in the next chapter in review.**

**-Chloemcg**


	4. the first adventure

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon and a few others. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

* * *

Tennessee sighed as he finally made his horse come to stop when he saw a small town right below that was centred in the magnificent view of a grand Canyon. For weeks Tennessee had been riding his horse and his items that were tied down in the back of the wagon that was being pulled behind them hadn't suffered a single scratch luckily.

The sun beamed down upon both Tennessee and his horse as they slowly approached the town that was surrounded by a grand canyon that gone as far as the eye could see. The humps of rock and sand stuck out of the ground like moles surfacing for a midnight meal of worms.

"Hoowee, I think we made it!" Tennessee exclaimed joyfully as he threw his hat in the air before it fell perfectly back upon his head. He grabbed the reins and slammed them down, gently signalling the horse to move forwards as the thoroughbred whinnied tiredly and they wandered slowly down the dirt road of the town. While they were moving slowly, the young Raccoon scanned his surroundings as they passed many buildings that were set up against the western, suburban subtly of the town.

There was a bank, a local saloon, even a few alleys that should be perfect for mixing into the shadows on moonlit heists. Each building provided a homely touch for Tennessee as he gave a short chuckle while his eyes landed just below him where a few children gathered around him and his horse as they gave him a warm welcome to the big city.

The dust furred Raccoon laughed as he ridden the horse into a nearby stable and tied him to a post before meeting the young group of street urchins as he grinned at them all. "Well, hiya guys." Tennessee greeted as he knelt down to meet the children at eye level and they all giggled sweetly at him in pure excitement.

"Hello, sir." The children chanted in unison shyly as they mostly looked at their feet. Tennessee smirked at the young group. It was clearer than fresh water that these guys were orphans judging by the rags that they wore.

"Are ya feelin' good?" Tennessee asked, not really knowing what to ask these kids as he never dealt with this kind of meeting before. The youngest of the group, a tiny meerkat pup, reached up with pudgy arms as her big eyes were large with curiosity and Tennessee couldn't help but feel his heart melt with affection as he scooped her up, sat down upon the patio in the shade of a nearby hut and sat her on his knee.

The children followed the young male raccoon into the shade and the oldest, a male hare wearing filthy dungarees, smiled apologetically "Sorry about Kylie, sir. She just likes hugs."

Tennessee brushed it off as he smiled warmly at the group "Aw, shucks. It ain't a problem, kids. What kind of guy would ah' be if ah' didn't turn a dead eye for kids in need?"

Tennessee got a better look of the children standing before him. They all looked very dry and seemed to have not had a fine drink in two days at least. It seemed that hope was fading fast to these guys and the young outlaw trainee wasn't going to allow little children to feel hope and dreams perish with their love. Bouncing the meerkat pup on his knee, Tennessee told them "Well, kids, ah' came here to fulfil m'ah pa's wish ta be just like him."

The children seem impressed by this stranger's story as they gasped in awe while they listened to him. Tennessee told them little about his thief heritage as possible so as not to spook them and he also told them how Buck came and changed his life when his father died and made things better for him. He also taught the orphans that dreams were more powerful then the harsh realities that were provided with life.

When Tennessee finished his chat and gazed out of the corner of his eye to see a giant clock tower that read 6:57, Tennessee stretched his arms up into the air and put a gloved hand in front of his mouth in order to stifle a tired yawn. He had been up since the early hours of the morning and this was beginning to take its toll after days of travelling. Rubbing at his unique eyes, the dust furred raccoon said "Well, guys. Ah' had a day that was bigger than a python with a tummy ache. Ah' think this ol' buckaroo should hit the hay."

The orphans whined sadly in response. They were enjoying the story the outlaw trainee was telling them but they were getting kind of tired too as a small portion of the group were already on the floor asleep and the male hare was the only one awake except for a half awake Kylie and twin fawn children. "Ya know where ah' could stay, fellas?" Tennessee asked as he gently passed the meerkat pup to the hare with his own eyes half closed in an effort to stay awake.

The raccoon was so tired that his heart was pounding inside his chest tiredly to force him down to sleep but Tennessee was strong enough to resist this as he picked himself up and followed the children whom guided him to a small hotel that was sitting quietly in between a shady alley and the saloon. The raccoon gave a tired click of his tongue and thanked his small helpers but not before giving each of the children a single coin to help them survive. Little did Tennessee know as he entered the house, the children walked away with evil heading right for them.

Tennessee paid for a room as the merchant at the desk had handed the young raccooon some keys for his room and he instantly began to march up the stairs, being guided by the banister as he slid a hand against the fine yet sturdy oak and he soon reached a door that had the same numbers that were etched against head of the key: 349.

Tennessee placed the key in the lock instilled just below the doorknob and within instants, the door clicked and swung open automatically with a 'creak' as it opened inches away from its hinge to allow little light to get through.

Tennessee reached a hand for the rectangular piece of wood and shoved it open a bit more to get a better look at the room he was required to stay in. The pale blue wall paper was peeling away with age and the room was practically empty as there was only a bed with only a pillow and bare mattress with the rag of a blanket draped on top and there was also an old radio that sat neatly on a bedside table.

"Hmm, quaint lil' place." Tennessee muttered as he decided to get his things later and have himself a little nap first as he was exhausted. He was so tired as he practically fell face first on the lumpy mattress and was snoring sleepily in a matter of three seconds, proving just how tired he was as slumber embraced him like he put on a coat.

Tennessee awoke with a start as he heard the small taps coming from a window. His ears whipped back and forth as the taps alerted him with his yellow orbs and brown-grey eyes barely open as he forced himself to stay awake. The male raccoon found his bowler hat sitting upon its rim and his hair was messy and unkept as he ran a lazy hand through his head fur and put his hat upon his head as he went to investigate the noise that awoke him from his slumber.

Judging by the navy blue skies that was dotted with tiny stars, it was very late at night. As Tennessee gazed out of the window, he wondered if his family back home was doing the same. He found his head running back to Danielle's sweet face and he would have given anything to see her again and kiss her lips until neither of them could breathe.

It was then that Tennessee reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo of his whole family. It was the day Skeeter was born and Dusty was tired as she held little Skeeter tight and Chris was holding young Tennessee tight in a warm embrace. A tear fell down Tennessee's cheek as he recalled his father who died by the talons of a bird.

Tennessee then looked closer and saw that the one who was tapping on the window was actually the young hare from before he fell asleep! How on earth did he miss seeing him just sitting there!?

Quickly, the brown furred raccoon opened the window and welcomed the child inside and saw that his eyes were dilated with terror and he was shivering. Tennessee was surprised to see the kid but noticed the total fear inside his eyes as he petted his head gently and asked worriedly "Hey, kid. Where's yer posse?"

"Th-Thats the problem!" The rabbit panted as his chest heaved from how he had to run "We was attacked b'ah a gang o'bandits and m'ah friends are in hospital! They taken Kaylie, though!"

Tennessee felt his heart drop when he heard what the small hare just said. Why would a gang of petty bandits take such a young toddler? The raccoon looked out of the window again for a moment in deep thought. His father always told him that the Coopers were thieves of honour but where was the honour in stealing not only young orphans but taking one as well?

Tennessee turned his head to face the hare and saw how frightened he looked. Having your friends hospitalised was a horrible thing but being alone with no way to help was terrifying and nobody knew this as well as he did. Ignoring how the moon coming from outside shone against the two figures as Tennessee's eyes scrunched up determinedly against his black velvet mask as his lips curled in a smile filled with confidence as he asked "Son, where'd ah' find these guys?"

* * *

A woodchuck laughed wickedly as he held up a large fist in the air as he clutched tightly to the money he and his gang of rodents had just stolen from a group of children. He and his lowly gang stood around the warmth of a fire's glow with one of the children, little Kaylie, tied to a wooden chair as she gave squeaks of detest.

The night provided some cool air from the day's heat as the group of adult rodents laughed menacingly, camping out on a cliff beside the train tracks of this town. The woodchuck leader turned on his feet to face his minions "So, m'ah friends. Y'all might be wonderin' what we're gonna do with the money we stole?"

The rats nodded their heads in response, showing their confusion as they gave grunts of agreement as they warmed by the fire. The woodchuck clutched the coins tightly in his large fist with a toothy grin full of sharp teeth and he narrowed his eyes in a way that would make even the strongest of spines tremble "We're gonna buy ourselves some weapons so we can become the greatest thieves in history."

"But what 'bout the meerkat pup, sir?" A rat asked confusingly. The fat woodchuck grabbed the one who asked this question and tightened his grip on his throat as he breathed in one of his circular pink ears "Slaves are runnin' scarce these days. We sell the runt fer the highest bidder."

He grabbed the pup by the scruff of the neck and laughed wickedly as he watched her big, adorable eyes well up with tears of despair. The woodchuck laughed manically but he stopped and widened his eyes at a voice coming from right behind him "Put the pup down, son."

The woodchuck turned on his feet as he saw a small lanky raccoon with dust brown fur, yellow whites of the eyes with brown orbs and he wore a bowler hat while he wore an orange shirt with a leather vest with a yellow neckerchief tied around his neck. The male raccoon also carried a strange revolver with a curved gold arch that shimmered a fiery orange in the fire's glow.

The young raccoon took some sidesteps as he stared the woodchuck down and they circled each other with one outlaw glaring at the other as each step they made made some dust stir up in the ground like a puff of smoke. Tennessee gritted his teeth as he chewed on his toothpick with his ears whipping back and forth in alertness as he found himself being surrounded by the many rodents with the woodchuck still clutching tightly to the small meerkat he was supposed to be saving.

"Y'all gone and picked with the wrong gang, ring-tail." The fat rodent leader snarled.

Tennessee felt a steady rage gradually boil inside his heart as he saw the pain in Kaylie's big yet adorable eyes. Whimpers escaped her throat and it was almost shattering enough to break his heart but the outlaw to be threatened to pull the trigger as his eyes wearily searched left and right at his foes whose lack of weapons provided a slight easiness to this battle.

Tennessee felt time slow down as he expertly spun upon the soles of his boots and aimed perfectly at each enemy before time caught up and the trigger was pulled quick and within a space of 3 seconds, the rat minions were laid on the ground lifeless.

Tennessee grinned proudly as he twirled his cane/shooting iron in two fingers but this changed as he was quickly caught off guard by the sound of a bell ringing and his cane was instantly snatched from his arms before he could even realise it.

"My gun! Give that back!" Tennessee snarled as he glared daggers at the woodchuck as he ran to get it but he stopped as the gun was aimed at his head. The male raccoon wondered if this was the end of him? He barely started his adventure on becoming a wanted outlaw and he was killed by the first night? Would his father be ashamed of him? Would his mother even cope with another death?! Tennessee lowered his head and closed his eyes in surrender.

"Heh, yer even more of a weaker thang than ah' thought." The woodchuck snarled as his fingers slithered towards the trigger and he threatened to pull it. Tennessee felt memories surface in his mind as he recalled his father's face, his mother, his little brother and the one who stole his heart since he was little. Tennessee thought of how he never took the first step with Danielle and wanted her to be there so he could straight out tell her how he felt and quit messing around...But he knew that it was far too late for that as he opened his eyes with no fear inside those beautifully different pools.

The woodchuck grinned as he pulled the trigger but as he did, a silhouette shielded by the darkness jumped on his shoulders and made his aim jolt upwards, the bullet shooting Tennessee in the ear as he yelped out in agony.

The male raccoon could barely believe what had happened and took this moment to run off with the meerkat pup who had fell out of the gang leader's hand from the impact of the stranger's lunge and scooped her up protectively as he took to his heels and ran off, feeling the sharp stinging in his ear that was burning hot as he could feel the bleeding in his left ear.

'Shoot, that was closer than a ten dollar shave!' Tennessee thought to himself in relief as he carried the small meerkat in his arms protectively until he found himself skid to a halt as he found himself standing beyond the brink of death. The cliff had a rail jolting out from an unfinished train track which could only be made with a big jump but if he jumped off the cliff he would be in deep water and the embarrassing truth he hated to admit was that he couldn't swim.

Tennessee seethed in pain as he could barely hear anything in his left ear and he looked down at Kylie. She fell asleep on the way here and she slept like a little angel as the moon's beams shone upon her graceful little cheeks to make her look all the more angelic. The young raccoon teenager looked for an alternative way out but it was either sink or swim in this case.

Kylie opened her eyes sleepily and stared up at him with worried eyes, as if she sensed her own danger and her lip trembled in a way that made Tennessee's heart tear up as he stroked her head soothingly.

The raccoon decided to do an act driven purely by desperation: jump on the rails. As Tennessee braced himself for his feet to come into contact with the steel, he clutched the small female pup tightly as he squeezed his eyes shut to prepare himself for the feeling of metal slipping under his feet but the faint sound of metal sliding caught his ears as he reluctantly opened his eyes...Only to find out something that stretched his cocky mind to things he wouldn't even dare dream of. He was sliding on the rails!

Tennessee's muzzle broke into a broad smirk as he felt the joy of being alive but he then remembered the pain he felt in his ear as he breathed in a sharp breath and felt the chilling air blow against his sore ear. Gritting his teeth to hide his pain, Tennessee felt increasingly weak as the left side of his head became sticky and hot due to how much his ear was bleeding.

A measure of relief came when he saw the town in his sight. The lights glistened brightly in the far distance as the night sky made the city lights shine like a jewel against the night as he approached the town. He felt a whosh from above as he saw the source for only a second. It was a ginormous bird! He wondered if that was the same bird who...? Nope, it was absurd. No bird could live that long!

Tennessee watched in interest as the bird disappeared from sight as he hidden in the night skies with piercing red eyes. The young outlaw's eyes widened when he saw that he was beginning to get to the 'unfinished' Part. He jumped over the gaps with little effort as he used his tail to swung underneath the rail and jump high into the air before he landed upon some rope that led from there to the town's clock tower. He ran along it and very soon reached the town and left Kaylie at the doorstep of a kindly person who took her in with little difficulty as he watched the nice looking weasel disappear inside with the meerkat pup.

The raccoon watched this with a kindly grin as he wrote about his very first adventure in the book his family treasured with a finest of quail feathers and an ink bottle by his side as he written this down with droopy, tired eyes yet a warm smile was curled on his lips. But he needed to get his ear looked at as he closed the book and placed it underneath his arm to make sure it didn't fall from his high height upon the rooftop but he very soon crossed paths with a very familiar face.

"Buck!?" Tennessee gasped.

"Howdy, kid." Buck smiled warmly. Tennessee was surprised. He never expected to see his childhood hero here! He was so shocked that he nearly dropped the Thevieus Raccoonus as he starred at the ageing ferret with eyes that were the size of dinner plates.

Before he could question he reasons for being here, Buck offered "C'mon, Tenny. Lets get that ear fixed up in the hotel and we'll catch up on old times."

The ferret done a stylish flip backwards as he landed on the roof of a house nearby and Tennessee copied this movement perfectly as he followed the old ferret in hot pursuit. He just hoped nothing bad happens.

* * *

**A/N: Woah, that was a long chapter! I hope it was alright. This was how Tennessee invented the rail slide and rail walk in my perspective. How was it? I'm proud of this chapter, honestly and can't wait to update. Do you have any suggestions for the future chapters? If so I would like to hear them in reviews.**

**I'm proud of this chapter! I also made this where Tennessee gets his gunshot wound.**

**Thanks guys!**

**-Chloemcg**


	5. Tennessee's first heist

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon and a few others. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

* * *

Buck was gently wrapping Tennessee's shot ear as the raccoon hissed in pain while digging his finger nails into the blankets of his temporary bed. The lamp hanging from the ceiling beamed down against both the old ferret and Tennessee's backs and shoulders as the lighting was dim but bright at the same time, making a nice atmosphere for the two as they tried not the pierce the quiet atmosphere between them by making much noise.

Tennessee and Buck had both made it back to the Hotel in one piece after Tennessee was shot in the ear by his own gun as the full grown ferret instantly got to work upon the coon's shot ear as he stood upon a stool by the raccoon's side while Tennessee sat upon the bed while gritting his teeth sorely in an attempt to prevent himself from screaming out in agony.

"Now, now, son. We're almost done with that ear." Buck assured as he continued mummifying Tennessee's bad ear in alcohol-soaked bandages. Judging by the old otter's gruff voice, not much had changed about him as he was just the same height as the boy's waist.

The dust furred coon dragged open one of his unique eyes sorely as he felt the pain in his ear subside a little. Never had he felt so sore as he couldn't hear much at all now that his ear had been shot at by his own revolver.

"What in the sam hills are y'all doin' in Cotton mouth bluff, Tennessee?" Buck asked while furrowing both his bushy brows against each other in a knot. The young adult raccoon told him the whole story, especially of his reasoning for being in this location.

The aging otter grinned at Tennessee as he was finishing wrapping up the wounded ear that belonged to the latest Cooper descendant. Never had such pride filled his heart up and caused his petit build to straighten up ever so slightly. Staring at Tennessee with wise icy blue eyes, Buck told the boy "Tennessee 'kid' Cooper, yer Pa would'a been proud of ya."

Tennessee smiled warmly upon hearing this. All he ever wanted was his father to be proud of him and hearing his childhood literal hero telling him this made the young coon forget most of the pain he was feeling as he stared at Buck with cheerful eyes.

The two mammals stared at each other for a moment or two but then Tennessee turned his head towards the window thoughtfully and stared at the navy blue colour it presented him with along with the tiny dots that graced the night skies with a bit more colour as the atmosphere calmed both the ring-tailed outlaw to-be and the older ferret outlaw.

Tennessee removed his bowler hat and ran a hand through his headful of messy head fur but ignored the patch of dried up blood that had hardened at the gun shot site. His bones ached in his arms and legs and even his tail as he felt like he had been cramped up in a space for a long amount of time.

"Gee, ah' feel like a weight in a river." Tennessee moaned as he laid back on the bed with his body heavy from exhaustion of all he had done today. Buck sent a smile to the young adult coon and began to walk out the door but he said something that surprised Tennessee a bit.

"You know, ah' never seen _anyone _skate on rails like that before. Maybe y'all should label it as a special skill or sumthin' fer ya first heist."

Tennessee lifted his head at this. Did Buck just recommend that Tennessee made this his special talent? Well, he didn't see why that shouldn't be a skill he should pass on through the generations! This thought actually made him excited as he closed his eyes and started dreaming up many ideas for his very first heist here.

If he was going to be a famous Outlaw of the old west, he _needed _to do something that involved some kind of stolen item. What would this be? He didn't know as his mind succumbed into the blackness of sleep.

The day passed quickly as Tennessee spent the day sleeping and trying to regain energy so he could do his very first heist as soon as night broke out and covered the skies in a ebony covering. The raccoon kept within the shadows of each alleyway that hid in-between each and every building as the young male coon's eyes trailed the skies as if to connect the dots to keep his mind sharp.

Tennessee felt fresh tears well up in his eyes as he recalled how he was about to pull the very first heist that will officially start his vow. The vow he made to his father's grave all those years ago when he was seven years of age. Brushing a hand along the rim of his hat to retrain his line of focus, Tennessee climbed up a pole to get to the rooftops and carefully scaled each roof with quick paced feet until he had to jump on a rope and use them to move from each building.

The winds were calm, the stars twinkled in the sky and the little trees that surrounded the area made soft melodies in Tennessee's healing ears as he strained to listen to those sounds with limited hearing due to his ear recovering. The dust furred ring-tail knew that his bandage was soaked in red ooze that bled through the bandages used to mummify his shot ear.

Shaking off the loss of focus, Tennessee picked up the pace and moved across the rope until he reached a small building that supposedly housed a wealthy Sheriff whom gone by the long title of 'Tornado-tailed, blood nosed Ricardo fox'. He was really called Rico even though he preferred the title Sheriff and or Ricardo which Tennessee found strange considering the fact that he liked calling people by their actual names instead of their supposed titles. He was just persistent that way, he guessed.

Tennessee's ears sprang up when he reached a small window of the house as he grabbed on to the ledge that stuck out from below the window and it was barely narrow enough for the outlaw-to-be to stand on as he used the gold hook of his gun (and cane) to draw a large enough circle through the thin glass so he could squeeze through it. When Tennessee successfully removed the piece of glass that came off the shape he grew, he climbed through it and looked at his surroundings thoughtfully.

He was in a little girl's bed room where the oak floorboards were actually quite creaky, the walls were painted pink as to match this girl's theme, she had a small bed where the little 3 year old fox kit slept with her teddy bear, there was even quite a few toys scattered across the floor. Tennessee rolled his eyes as he was going to deal with another child.

Tennessee put a light foot in front of the other as he crept through the room while being as quiet as he could. The dust furred raccoon did make a small amount of noise that seemed to make the 3 year old pup stir in her sleep but luckily she didn't awake. He crept through the doorways that were dark from the night as he carefully navigated through the moonlit hallways.

The young adult trainee outlaw's unique eyes spotted his target as he paused in front of the doorway to Rico and his wife's room. There was a gold music box right beside the put out candle that both sat on the bedside table. The only complication was that it was inches away from the sleeping Sheriff!

Tennessee put a gloved hand to ease his pounding heart as he tried to calm the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Never had Tennessee imagined what would happen if he awoke Rico as multiple different scenarios rushed through his mind. Eventually, he blocked out everything and gently forced himself into the room as he quickly and quietly entered the room that was much bigger than the daughter's room.

Once again, the floors were oak but they were very spacey and a bit less creaky-looking. The walls were painted a deep shade blue that was brightened against the gentle silver moonlight beams that bore through the veil curtains that covered the windows. Both Rico and his wife slept in a double bed soundly as Ricardo faced the table while his wife's limp side was back against him so she was facing away from him. Rico's auburn fur was impaled against the white light that the moon outdoor provided as his black nose twitched by the music box the thief entering the room targeted.

'..._Gee, if ah' don't be careful than ah'm surer than heck will wake up the sheriff and sound the alarm...' _Tennessee thought quietly as he stepped into the room while biting down on his bottom lip.

Tennessee inched slowly towards the bed to make sure he wouldn't wake anyone up and as he was approaching the bed little by little; his ears flattened against his head at the sound of Rico's startled snorting as he lifted his head weakly, his heavy eyelids threatening to close over his emerald green eyes as he wanted to succum to the sleep he yearned for.

"Huh?...What in tarnation..?" Rico began as he lightly pushed his upper half up while sleepily looking around to investigate the noise he heard but found nothing as the room was in the same state before he fell asleep. The male adult fox raised his bushy brows in suspicion as he opened his mouth in a loud yawn before he relaxed and very soon drifted back to sleep as his snores indicated as much while Tennessee made himself visible by climbing down from the ceiling.

Tennessee wiped a hand across his forehead that was drenched with sweat of nervousness and he let out a small sigh of relief. He thought that the sheriff was going to wake up but it seemed that luck was most _definitely _on his side as he carefully moved to the bedside table to grab the priceless looking music box.

The young adult ring-tail's yellow orbs widened while his pupils dilated as he noticed that Rico was beginning to wake up again as he was letting out confused grunts on occasion as if he was almost aware that someone else was in his room. Thinking quickly, Tennessee hummed the tune of 'Rock-a-bye baby' to try and re-pacify the male adult fox as a way to prevent him from awaking a second time and actually waking up.

"Rock-a-bye sheriff, rest yer sweet head..." Tennessee sang light-heartedly as his voice was smooth and almost soothing as the western flavour actually gave it a bit more effect "...Don't you awake, no, don't you play dead..." Tennessee watched as Rico's confused whimpers quieted down as he once again began to drift back to sleep while his head lowered to the pillow beneath his cream furred chin "Coyote or long-horn, it do-on't matter. Y'all will have a limitless shatter..."

Tennessee felt his lips curl into a conniving grin as he gently grabbed the golden music box from the bedside table and quietly stuffed it into a sack which he carried over his shoulder along with his gun. The young adult raccoon slowly side-stepped towards the window as he anticipated Rico actually awaking as he really hoped he would. To see the thing Tennessee had stolen, that is.

The coon opened the window and made a quick exit through it as he broke into a fast paced run into the night. Tennessee gave a hearty laugh as his entire body buzzed with excitement from what he had just done. Never had he felt so alive as to achieve this goal of grabbing the Sheriff's prized gold music box and even though this wouldn't make him a famous outlaw overnight, it would surely earn him a reputation throughout these parts of Cotton mouth bluff!

As Tennessee retreated back to the hotel with a skip in his nimble step and a devilish grin on his face, he was very much obvious to the pair of crimson red eyes staring at his shadowed but unmistakable form running across the ropes.

"Yes..." The figure whom owned these pair of beastly eyes full of hatred "This is the one I want. Soon my revenge will be complete." His voice had this affirmative evilness that would shake your spine like an earthquake and it sounded machine-like in a way.

As the huge bird stared at the young ecstatic raccoon from afar, he knew that Tennessee had sealed his fate tonight by carrying on his family's legacy.

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**A/N: This chapter was not meant to be lazy. I was just in a bit of a hurry to get this chapter up. I am proud of this, though! Tennessee commits his very first crime in this and boy will the Sheriff be mad! **

**Its also very obvious who the villain is in this story although you might find the twists in this very shocking. What do you think of this so far? **

**Also I can't wait to show you what happens next in the next chapter. I'll try doing that next! **

**Please review and tell me what you think of this story.**

**-Chloemcg**


	6. A simple cleaning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon and a few others. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

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Some time had passed since Tennessee's first heist and the morning after this, Sheriff Ricardo had gone all out on trying to track down the raccoon bandit who broke into his home.

Tennessee shook his head with a smile as he recalled the fact that posters of his face had covered the town like a very bad case of the chicken pox. Rico had been persistently trying to track him down with no or little luck sent his way as Tennessee couldn't be caught nor even seen by the citizens of this town.

Weeks dragged on into months as Tennessee had grown stronger and more confident in himself and he pulled more and more heists until he was well known throughout the town, thus earning him the nickname 'Dust-furred shadow'. Tennessee couldn't deny that it was corny but it had this sense that reminded him of one of his ancestors: Rioichi Cooper. It just made him sound like a ninja!

Tennessee sat at his desk as he was just reading a letter sent by his younger brother. His legs rested upon the desk while he sat almost laying down against two barrels with his eyes tracing each and every neatly written word written by his younger brother, Skeeter.

"Dear Tennessee; Ma is really missing you and even though I am trying to keep my promise, I am having trouble since she won't even budge from her chair nor the kitchen when she's cooking. I think she's having trouble moving on. Anyways, Danielle has now left to travel like she dreamed of and plans on visiting you in the big city of Cotton mouth. Please send me some of your fortune if its not of any trouble, my allowance is running low. -Skeeter." Tennessee finished reading the letter with a smile as he held the note delicately in his hand with his fingers supporting the thin piece of paper.

He loved every note his little brother sent and admired he neat hand writing he had and Tennessee lazily scratched behind his gunshot ear as a means to ease his bad case of boredom. Tennessee's ear had healed completely after a month of being cleaned daily to prevent infection and now his ear bore a hole in his ear that would surely stay with him for the remainder of his life. Giving a lazy yawn, the dust furred outlaw let his ankles off the barrel and began the sluggish task of sitting up by himself as he decided to occupy himself by doing some cleaning around his hotel room.

Tennessee's room remained basically the same but it was a lot less tasteless than before he moved in. The walls remained to be pale with the wall paper peeling off like the skin of a banana, the floors was scattered with loot from previous heists and also clothes that had been thrown to the floors. There was a desk moved against the corner where Tennessee could write and read letters sent by his family back in Sandy more gulch. Standing up, Tennessee stuffed the insignificant clothes he wore previously into his strong arms as he wandered around to sort things out. Once everything was picked up from off the floor; The young adult male coon grabbed a duster from the bedside table in front of the radio and began to walk to the window when he stopped in his tracks and glanced at the radio for a bit.

Tennessee never put on the radio in this room as he thought it looked kind of old to even be playing. Judging by the dust covering the top of the device, it hadn't been used in awhile. Giving a shrug, Tennessee retraced his steps as he went back to the bedside table, bent down and used his spare hand to turn the dial and turn on the radio which instantly played an old cheesy song that was being backed up by an acoustic guitar.

After listening to the music, Tennessee gave a small grin when he recognized the song and his tail whipped from side to side and soon begun to gyrate along with the catchy tune. "Ah' love this song!" Tennessee exclaimed as he actually began to swing his body around to the upbeat tempo of the music that caught his ears. The raccoon felt this memory of when he used to dance along to this back home embrace his body as he used the duster to make his dancing skills more fluent as he pretended that it was a familiar girl who made his heart flutter.

Actually, as the young adult danced around he actually began to think that the duster was actually his friend: Danielle, as he held the cloth low in his hands as he bent his neck down and actually kissed the fabric with a passion as if his own lips was making contact with it. It didn't take long but Tennessee parted away from the duster he realised he was making out with and his eyes were wide as he dropped the duster and put a hand to his head while marching over to bed.

"...Oh m'ah stars. Ah' made out with a cloth." Tennessee gasped as if he had finally lost his sanity. Then reality hit him hard as he sat on the edge of his bed while looking down at his lap with the memories of Danielle's face to haunt him. He was lovesick!

The young adult ring-tail slouched over on his bed while looking at his lap with a seemingly absent mind as he was lost in thought. Tennessee never felt this sick before. He wasn't sick physically but he might as well be, he thought, as Danielle's eyes almost engulfed the young raccoon in heartbreak. He missed her so much that he wanted nothing more than to run to her.

It was then that he overheard something sneak from outdoors to his paitent ears. He didn't know what it was but he heard the one name that made his heart race and his feet tumble to get to the door and pry it open with a forceful pull of the door knob: Danielle.

Eyes widening, Tennessee pulled the door open and observed two creatures engaging in conversation. Both were elderly creatures and one was a turtle while the other was a rabbit and they were both oblivious to the raccoon's subtle presence.

"Did y'all hear that a young gal named Danielle is comin' ta interview our town?" One of the animals asked in his old yet slow voice. The other nodded with a wrinkled grin "Indeed ah' have, sonny boy!" He exclaimed "With her recommendation, our town shall be more packed than a waterin' hole in a hot desert!"

The two old coots standing in the cream and tangerine hall way laughed heartily as Tennessee approached the duo and tapped the turtle's shoulder eagerly with a small grin "Sorry ta cut ya short, gentlemen, but can ah' ask what yer talkin' bout?" He asked politely.

"Of course, boy!" The turtle nodded with a kindly smile, of course unaware of the raccoons status as an outlaw in these parts "A purdy lil' lady is comin' ta town from Sandy more gulch! She talked with Ricardo fox about it and says that she is gettin' a job in journalism here!"

Tennessee felt his heart lift up instantly at the mention of Danielle coming here! He was excited now as he was now happy that he was going to see his friend again. It seemed that Skeeter's letter was right about her visiting.

"Oh...Hehehehehe!" He couldn't wait to see her as he spaced out for a moment or two before running back into his room while laughing giddily with a slam of his door. The two shared a very long yet awkward silence as they stood there lazily in the doorway.

"Didn't he look familiar, Johnathan?" The old rabbit asked as he pointed a wobbly hand in the direction of Tennessee's shut door. Clearly the turtle had no clue of what his friend was talking about as he was confused "...What were we talkin about again?"

In Tennessee's room, the amateur outlaw raccoon was combing his hair while he bounced excitedly in place while making sure his reflection looked as cool as he did. The boy was excited as he groomed his hair to make it look sleek and dashing even though it was to be covered by his hat.

The sunlight that shone through his window beamed warmly against his face as he tried over and over again to make himself look more flashier than he normally would. Eventually, however, Tennessee decided that he looked good just the way he was as he practically zoomed out the door to greet Danielle at the entrance while dragging the Thevious Raccoonus with him.

The young raccoon knew that he was going to wait awhile for his childhood friend as he stared out into the golden skies and orange sand beyond the horizon as far as the eye could see but he didn't care as he leaned against the entrance of the town. He didn't even care if he was seen by those tracking him as he waited for Danielle to arrive and he was going to stay like that even if it took all day.

And to think that all this started with cleaning!

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**A/N: Sorry about the short chapter. I was excited to get this up. I'll try and do better next time but I wanted this short anyway. It seems that Tennessee will be getting a visit from his childhood friend now, right? Well let's find out next.**

**-Chloemcg**


	7. Reunited by shadows

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tennessee 'kid' Cooper but I do own Danielle the Raccoon and a few others. The Cooper ancestors belong to the Sly Cooper franchise, sucker punch games and Sanzaru games. Not me! **

**Journey of a dream.**

* * *

Danielle the raccoon walked alongside Sheriff Ricardo Fox as her eyes scanned the area left and right for the wonderful buildings that heavily populated the land. The sand matched the orange skies that hung overhead, the shadows were kept at bay in the alley ways and sleekly moved by everyone's side as they straightened against each and every building that was walked passed and chatter was surprisingly quiet in a way.

She brushed her raven black hair over her shoulder as she keenly listened about her job opportunity here but she couldn't help but get the sneaky suspicion that she was being followed. She looked over her shoulder to search for who would be shadowing her but she found zero traces of nobody out there so shrugged and continued to follow Rico even if his words fell dead to her patient ears.

Little did Danielle realise as she walked away was that she _was _being followed as Tennessee peeked his head up from behind a sign for a gift shop.

Tennessee currently wore a black hood over his head that covered his head and mouth so his indentity could be hidden but he also wore a cloak that looked kind of like it was made by an Indian culture as the brown yet fuzzily soft material was draped with large feathers dangling from the back and had tassels hanging underneath. The rest of his clothing looked the same, though.

Danielle didn't arrive iimmediately so the young outlaw had to quit waiting and went to bed, disappointed that she didn't arrive yet, but he decided not to give up hope as all he needed to do was wait an afternoon later. He didn't wait by the entrance this time but he saw her by chance and he was now chasing after her and following his childhood friend from behind.

Even if Tennessee had a quick glance at her face, she looked prettier than ever as his eyelids pulled over half his uniquely coloured eyes as a lovestruck smile complimented this daydream face as he sighed dreamily. He placed a hand to ease his heart that pounded inside his thin built chest as he told it with a whisper "Be still, m'ah heart...Soon ah'll say 'hi' ta her and maybe y'all will be calm."

He looked over his shoulder to find that Danielle was disappearing around a corner with Rico still chatting away about boring uninteresting stuff although the dust furred raccoon could easily tell that she was barely listening. What was she thinking about, he thought, as he shakily put one foot in front of the other so he could break into a silent run as he raced across the ropes that hung diagonally from building to building.

Tennessee approached the duo from behind and perched upon the middle of a rope and keenly watched as both Rico and Danielle had disappeared into the Sherriff's office to talk about trivial matters as Tennessee sat on the ropes to wait for his childhood friend to emerge from those oak double saloon-like doors.

Now, the doors weren't anything special. There was a star hanging on the small hunched doors that symbolised where they led to as they shone against the golden sun hanging above in the bright sky and the wood the doors were coloured in an oily slick beige but to Tennessee, they were the most interesting things to look at right now as his tail swished keenly behind him as his shaded form was basically undetectable from the townsfolk.

Dusting off his shirt and dark leather vest, Tennessee kept watch on the doors for what seemed like an eternity until Danielle finally appeared and walked gracefully out into the open as she gazed at her surroundings with a sweet smile. Tennessee couldn't help but nearly faint as he got a real look at how much she had grown and seemingly matured.

Danielle's fur had darkened a considerable amount since the last time Tennessee saw her and her coffee brownish mask did too. She wore a pretty red bow hair clip in her hair right beside her fluffed up fringe that swept neatly against her mask. Not only that but Danielle also changed her attire and accessories as she wore a flouncy dress that looked kind of like what a working maiden would wear and her eyes glimmered like the genuine diamonds they were to Tennessee's eyes. Her raven hair was also tied up to a pony tail and had a pretty blue bow to tie it up. Her lips were still coloured in crimson lipstick, though.

The dust furred outlaw never felt so light in all his life as his heart fluttered inside his chest to give out warm fuzzy affection for the female raccoon. Tennessee's eyes closed as he felt his crush transform into love for her within the twitch of a nose. His eyes snapped open and his ears swivelled at the sound of something smashing in the distance.

Tennessee sniffed the air cautiously as he knew that shattering was originating from a glass window not so far off. The fur on the back of his neck bristled when he caught the scent and recognised it almost instantly as his eyes widened and he almost spat out the toothpick he chewed on firmly in his fanged teeth even if his mouth was covered by the material meant to mask his identity.

But it seemed that Danielle also heard the sounds of glass smashing as she looked around with terrified eyes with her ears pricked and alert as they whipped about in a radar-like motion as if to sense for danger.

It was so eerily silent that not even Danielle saw it coming as a bunch of guys practically barrelled themselves into the female raccoon and grabbed her up into their arms before running off, making Tennessee chase after them as he began to feel the blood rush around his body like a bottle full of beer being swished around. Tennessee's eyes narrowed at the thought of those crooks harming his friend as he grabbed his mini gun out from hiding within his boot as he ran along the rope with great ease and little effort.

It was then he heard Danielle's screams pierce the silent air and it made several bells of alarm ring inside Tennessee's mind as he now was very angry and he was now running at the speed of a train with its engine kicked into high gear and he could have sworn that smoke was blowing out of his ears as his unparalleled speed matched that of the train that would constantly circle the area like an eagle. Eventually, Tennessee found the group of thugs and watched them from a safe distance as he knew it would be stupid to reveal himself now.

They hid in an alley where the group seemed to be another gang searching through table scraps as they lived in a shaded campsite but even still, they seemed to have been thriving since there was a group of six all together and they were led by an adult Labrador whom dressed like a classic old western smuggler. It was a huge boar who carried a roped up Danielle over his strong shoulder even though she struggled as hard as she could to get away from them. Tennessee felt sorry for her.

After Danielle was dropped and tossed aside, the leader of this petty gang looked over the money they stole from the bank and they admired it for quite some time as the gold sparkled and gleamed in the slight sunlight that shone into the alleyway even if it was hidden deep inbetween two buildings. The female raccoon wore a defensive glare upon her face as her nose crinkled in utter disgust towards those dirty lowlifes.

"We-hell..." The Labrador leader chuckled menacingly as he looked over the gold his gang had stolen as he tweaked a toothpick that his fangs stuck to, his naturally golden coat ruined by dirt smearing the delicate long fur that grown to form his coat even with the black, shady clothing he more certainly adored to wear considering the outfit was in better pristine condition then the dog's matted fur was "It'd appear y'all were scorin' big today boys."

Tennessee could tell by the guy's slick yet low voice that he was most certainly a smuggler stereotype who idolised a smuggler and decided to dress like him. The male adult raccoon narrowed his eyes firmly as he saw the leader walk towards Danielle and rest a paw on her chin to force her defiant pools to meet his nasty green ones.

"Even a purdy lil' lady like this should be finely treated." Danielle growled stubbornly as she moved her chin away from his paw with a swift whip of her head but clearly the smuggler stereotype wasn't going to take no as an answer as he winked at her flirtatiously "With utmost...respect."

Danielle narrowed her eyes into slits as she yelled at the guy with very slight fear lacing against her strong yet sweet voice "LEAVE ME ALONE, CREEP!" She used both her legs to smack the guy who was clearly trying to hit on her. The leader of the gang stumbled backwards to try and get over the very clear sting to the cheek he had just received from the fearless female coon.

The Labrador glared daggers at his captur whom glared right back at him, clearly not regretting a single thing she had just done. The filthy dog with poor grooming felt rage bubble up inside him as he marched over to her and grabbed her by the front of the neck to make her gag. Danielle's eyes had lost half its confidence with this one swift movement but they remained to be full of defiance to be a damsel in distress but she suddenly noticed that the rest of the gang were surrounding her with evil smirks that gave away what dirty things they were thinking.

She glared at them chillingly as her hatred for those brutes whom kidnapped her with this fire of defiance shimmering inside her dazzling pools. Danielle knew from past experience and trained with her father for such cases but as she was thoroughly restrained she couldn't pull of anything.

She watched as the group of menacing dogs got ready to pound her into dust but found that they were trembling in fear as they took slow steps back from her with their multiple pairs of eyes wide with fear. Danielle laughed at their faces humorously at this "Hah! Are y'all 'fraid of lil' ol' me?"

"T-Th-The dust furred shadow..." The dogs gasped fearfully while they were all trembling like leaves with their guns shaky and unbalanced in their hands as they tried to aim at the guy who stood behind Danielle whom at first raised a confused pair of brows towards the guards and their leader. Who was this 'Dust-furred shadow'? Where was he to show himself? Danielle let the horrifying reality sink in as she very slowly turned the side of her head to look over her shoulder: the dust-furred shadow was right behind her!

The Dust-furred shadow narrowed his yellow and light brown orbs towards his enemies as he used the gold hook of his shooting iron to cut the ropes off Danielle's wrists so she could move at least as he scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her bridal style as he removed a rope from his back pocket, spun it into a lasso and threw the loop of rope at a nearby gargoyle sticking out from the nearby chapel so he could pull both him and Danielle up into the air.

As a disguised Tennessee yanked on the rope, he could feel Danielle thrashing about in his arms as if she couldn't recognise his hold. Tennessee knew his disguise concealed his face and therefore, his identity and he was too busy trying to save her to tell her who he is but as he grunted and struggled to hold her through her constant struggling; his grip on her began to loosen dangerously as she begun to slip out of his arms.

"Danielle-Oof! It's me!" Tennessee exclaimed through her panicky elbow ramming into his stomach as the female coon shouted inaudible demands so he could release her but she just continued to thrash about in her hero's arms until she managed to poke him in the eye and they tumbled on to the roof of the chapel where the couple fell on to.

The two raccoons were just recovering from where they landed on the roof when Danielle picked her hero up by the collar and pinned him against the wall of the spire of the roof. He was just arousing from being unconscious for a mere 30 seconds when she snagged him by the collar as he was fumbling with his hands to get himself standing on his own two feet as the back of his head hit the wall hard, causing him to yelp out.

Danielle crossly pressed her muzzle against the Dust-furred shadow's concealed one and demanded while pinning him to the spire with one hand and jabbing him in the chest accusingly with a finger with the other "Who are ya and why did y'all save me?!"

"D-Danielle, its me!" Tennessee tried again as he stared with admittedly fearful eyes into her cross ones "It's _Tennessee_!"

Danielle's eyes softened for a moment as a sly grin grew on her lips and a playful look bloomed inside her pretty eyes as she thought for another way for him to prove who he is "Alright then, if yer really m'ah friend than what was the nickname y'all gone b'ay?"

"...Yer _really _wantin' me ta go there, ain'tchu?" Tennessee asked while giving her a playful glare. Danielle shrugged equally playfully as she continued to have Tennessee pinned to the wall of the spire. Tennessee didn't need to be an idiot to know that Danielle would do basically anything to prove her point and if he didn't do this then she wouldn't believe him. Besides, Danielle had a cute evil streak in her that the outlaw couldn't deny he liked about her.

Sighing heavily, Tennessee pulled his hood off with put out eyes as he was humiliated beyond belief to be doing this as he thought he should both show his face and prove who he is at the same "Fine. Y'all gone and named me 'Tenny'." He breathed a frustrated exhale as Danielle sent her friend a smile.

She rubbed her head lovingly against Tennessee's cheek fur as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms warmly around Tennessee's back, making his entire face turn a bright red and smoke blew from his ears again but this time it wasn't from anger; it was from pure infatuation.

The two young adult raccoons hugged as they both loved the atmosphere they were gifted with for this nice reunion. When Danielle broke up the hug, she murmured softly "Ah' missed ya like heck, Tenny."

Tennessee pulled away slightly and raised a humorous brow at her yet his gaze to her was compassionate as he gave her a warm smile "Aw, shucks. Ah' missed ya too, Dani." The pair shared this romantic moment in the sunlight with fires in their hearts as they soon departed to get back to what they were originally doing: go to the hotel, where Tennessee promised to explain everything to her.

As Tennessee carried her, many thoughts crossed his mind like an annoying fly that buzzed right by his brain that he couldn't get rid of. But the one thought that over powered them all was '_Shes so beautiful...'_

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**A/N: Yay! Romantic Tennessee! You'll see more romance later on in the next chapter! If I may ask you guys, which character is the best I am doing so far? I would like to know if its alright. I hope you guys and gals like this one and the next chapter! Thanks.**

**-Chloemcg**


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